DRIVEN TO DESTRUCTION: SMOKEY BANDITS TARGET TOBACCO

A MANHUNT is under way for a group of smokey bandits carrying out ram raids targetting cigarettes.

Police declined to offer a dollar value on the smokes stolen, but the Bulletin understands it to be in the thousands of dollars.

Police say four people stole two cars from Carina in Brisbane before beginning a crime spree targetting tobacco, first targeting a supermarket on Valley Way in Mount Cotton.

The gang used a stolen four-wheel-drive to smash their way into the supermarket about 1.05am yesterday, while those in the other stolen car, a Hyundai, acted as lookouts.

They came up empty handed when a cleaner in the store spooked them and they fled.

The gang then moved on to Drakes Supermarket in Ormeau, using the fourwheel-drive to again smash through a glass window. Four people then entered the shop and stole a large quantity of cigarettes before fleeing.

About 2am, they struck again, this time a newsagency on Logan River Rd in Holmview and cigarettes again their were the target.

Police could not say if the raids were random or planned attacks. They would also not speculate on what the offenders were doing with the stolen cigarettes.

The two stolen vehicles are a grey 2014 Mitsubishi Pajero with the Queensland registration 043 VHN and a white 2016 Hyundai i30 hatchback with Qld registration 653 XIR and a logo on the driver’s door for “Story House Early Learning”.

Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.